A Path Through Stars
by bluelily3
Summary: On a Keronian space ship to their planet for a special occasion, Aki Hinata is woken earlier than usual by Kululu. What plans does he have? Aki's curiosity gets the better of her, and she is lead to an experience like none other she has ever known. Will Kululu and Aki's relationship stay the same? Or will it be changed forever? Updated: Now edited


AN: Although this is the space journey to Keroro and Mois's (Keronian Mois) wedding, this story features Kululu and Aki. I will probably write what happens afterward, but for now, I just wanted to write about them. :)

Aki Hinata woke with a start. She wasn't sure what had jolted her out of sleep. She lay still for a moment, hearing only the sound of her own breath. Even that sounded different. She wasn't in her bedroom. Everything was off-kilter. Then she heard a gentle beep and saw a flicker of light out of the corner of her eye. She turned and saw a small screen next to her head. Another beep came from it. The words "premature awakening" shown brightly. Underneath, it said "Proceed?" in a green box that looked like a button. She blinked as a cursor hovered over the button. It glowed brighter green, making the box seem like it had been pushed. Then she heard a rushing sound and flinched as a round door opened at her feet. Light flooded in. She was in a cramped compartment, with cushioning all around her. She looked down at her hands, and they were small and dark. She remembered now. She was a Keronian, on one of their ships, heading for their planet. A couple of moments before, she had been in hyper sleep, but someone woke her up. Premature awakening, the screen had said. She stared at the lit up box that said proceed. The cursor disappeared. They weren't at their destination yet, but she was still awake. She only needed one guess at who did it. She shook her head and smiled to herself. Kululu.

She stumbled into the hall, noticing how empty it was. There was a row of sealed doors to her right. She peered into a small circle of glass on one and saw her son curled up in the dim light. He was also a Keronian. He was a teal color, with a little alien head on his belly. She chuckled to herself, and kept walking, slowing down to peer into the other windows. Natsumi. Giroro. Keroro. Mois as a Keronian. Tamama. Dororo. Saburo. Then there was an empty one. Past that, there were a few more. Momoka and Koiyuki. They looked cute in the Keronian form. Next to the round doors there were wall panels, each one with a screen. There were quiet beeping sounds coming from each one, and complex codes. She walked back a few paces. Her feet made a short, squeaking sound. A Keronian trait. She almost laughed, but bit it off when she noticed how alone she was. She sighed, and watched her two children sleep. What next?

Suddenly the panel under Natsumi's door made an alarming sound, and erratic lines peaked up and down. Aki's hands flew to the glass.

"Natsumi!" Her voice cracked with panic. She was so focused on her daughter that she didn't notice the soft footsteps beside her, or the brisk taps on the panel. Then the beeping quieted down, and Natsumi, who had been thrashing around, went still. Aki gasped.

"Oh! Natsumi...?" It frightened her how still she had become.

"Ku... She's all right. It was only a nightmare." Aki turned toward the voice. Kululu was level with her face, and she almost jumped back. She wasn't afraid of him, but she also wasn't used to him being the same height and size as her. Then there was the matter of being a Keronian.

Over the last two years, she and Kululu had gotten close. She liked his zany mind, and he admired her beauty and independence. She noticed that he protected her, even though he put lives of his friends in constant danger. They were like pieces on a board to him, but Aki remained untouched. He didn't play games with her, and allowed her to see a different side of himself. However, she had only considered him a cute little friend up until now. In his form, she saw him as a fellow species, and a male one at that. She wasn't sure what to think. Even though she hadn't seen her husband in a year and a half, she still considered herself married. Their relationship was complicated. Her relationship with Kululu was complicated as well. She knew that when he treated her decently it meant he liked her, and she was fond of him as well. She even called him "Kulu" like his other friends did, and she often snuck into his lab to see what fascinating invention he was building. His brilliance amazed her, and she wasn't afraid to compliment him. He didn't mind having her there, and she guessed that he even enjoyed it. Especially when he called her "Aki dear" and let her assist him in his work from time to time.

Kululu turned back to the panel. He tapped the screen a few more times, typing in cryptic codes.

"So, all that beeping was just a bad dream? Well, then what's the big deal?" Without taking his eyes off the screen, he answered her.

"One little dream won't harm her, of course. But we need to keep her in hyper sleep. So I re-programmed the system to force her into a deeper sleep cycle. That's why she went so still. She's back in her REM pattern now."

"Oh, okay. That makes sense. But, wait. I'm awake. If you need to keep everyone asleep, why am I awake?" Kululu's mouth twitched into a smile.

"Ku, ku!" He turned around, and just when she thought he was walking away from her, she realized she was stumbling along involuntarily. She looked down at her hand. His yellow fingers were wrapped around it, and he was tugging her along absently. It was like he hadn't even noticed.

"Kulu, where are we going? I don't really want to leave my..."

"Your children will be fine, trust me. As for where we are going... ku, ku! You'll find out soon enough." At that last part, he turned to her, and his glasses shone. She nodded, suppressing a chuckle. Mischievous little imp.

Before long, they reached an elevator. Still holding her hand, Kululu lead her inside. The lighting was dim. She had never been in such close quarters with him. Now that she was a Keronian... Feeling a bit uncomfortable, she made a joke.

"Oh, an elevator, hmm?" She said coyly. "You've got me now, Sergeant Major..." In her head she screamed to herself. Had that really defused the situation? She just threw wood on the fire! But Kululu only pressed a button. It almost seemed like he was ignoring her. She was thinking about apologizing for the stupid joke when the floor shot up with tremendous speed. She gasped and stumbled into him. He held onto her shoulders to steady her. As it kept moving, she began to feel sick.

"Why did you make it so fast?"

"Why not? I thought you liked an occasional thrill, Aki, dear." He laughed then, and it wasn't his trademark "ku". It was a deeper chuckle, unlike what she had ever heard. His cheeks were flushed with excitement. The elevator button light kept rising until it hit the top, which was marked "OD". Everything stopped so abruptly that the two of them lost their balance and toppled over. Aki crashed to the floor, and braced herself for pain. But she only bounced, unharmed. This Keronian body was really something. She didn't have any more time to think about that when she realized that Kululu had fallen on top of her. The smell of golden curry was overwhelming, and he was so warm... A second or two passed, and she was sure he would have gotten up by now. She nudged him.

"Hey, are you alright?" Maybe he'd been knocked out somehow. She couldn't see his eyes behind his glasses, so it was hard to tell. Then a low, lazy sound came from him. It was like a he had woken up form a pleasant dream and was begging to stay in bed for five more minutes. A haze lifted, and he pushed himself off her quickly, then helped her up. The elevator door was open, and he sauntered through it, like nothing had happened. She followed him.

"I assume you weren't hurt?" His voice was languid. She blinked and tried to brush it off.

"Uh...no. I'm alright, Kululu. You?"

"Never better. I just love a speedy ascent. It makes everything so much easier when you're in a hurry. Ku, ku, ku!"

_Wait...in a hurry? _Aki stopped. Maybe this was getting too weird. She had been having strange thoughts since she transformed, but would he really...? She had half a mind to turn around. Kululu walked ahead of her a few feet, then he stopped too. Did he sense her hesitation? He turned around and faced her. She blanched. Those black spirals could be a bit intimidating. Sometimes she wished she could see his real eyes.

"Did it make you sick?" His voice was soft.

"What?"

"The elevator. You look a bit pale."

"Oh, no. I'm fine. I just..." She was mortified to feel heat rising to her cheeks. She never blushed!

"Ah, there we go. Your color is returning." This made her blush harder. Why was this happening to her? Was there some special force he had to lure people in? He wasn't even that attractive or likeable by most standards. However, she found herself liking him anyway. He was fascinating and brilliant beyond anyone she had ever met.

He smiled a toothy grin and turned around.

"Well, here's the door. Come in with me. There's something you should see." He beckoned to her, while the other hand typed in an access code. The door was marked "OD" like the elevator label. Her curiosity piqued, Aki stepped forward. When she got close, he stopped her by pressing his hand lightly on her chest. She almost stepped back, but remembered that she didn't have breasts in this form. Did Keronians even have private parts? They walked around naked...

"Before you go in, you have to close your eyes."

"Really? What kind of room is this?" His eyebrow furrowed impatiently.

"You'll see in a moment. But first you-"

"I know, I know. Close my eyes. I don't see why it matters..." She closed them firmly, and realized as she did it that she was placing her trust completely into Kululu's hands. Did anyone else trust him like this? Then she remembered her thoughts from a moment ago, and the feeling shifted into hypocrisy. Now it didn't seem to matter, though. She felt his hand in hers again, and it was gentle, like he was holding a butterfly. She heard a hiss as the door opened, and he lead her slowly inside. Right way she could tell that the room was huge. She could feel empty air around her, and it smelled new and clean. It was still unimaginably dark behind her eyelids. She gasped.

"It's so dark. I can't-" Kululu's grip tightened.

"I know where I'm going, my dear."

"Okay. I trust you."

"Ku..." He sounded pleased. They walked forward into the darkness, and he was right. She didn't feel hesitation from him at all. He knew exactly what he was doing. Somehow he _always _knew that.

The floor was cold, and it felt like metal. It dipped down like an aisle in a movie theater.

"There is a steep decent here. Be careful how you step." His voice was quiet, but it echoed all around. Aki got goose bumps, but not from fear. She was excited.

"Right." She said confidently.

When it seemed like the floor would keep going down forever, he stopped. The room was silent without the squeak of their feet.

"Now we'll be going up a few steps. They are shallow, though, so don't lift your foot too high. Ku, ku."

"Okay. Got it." Now he was leading her up _steps_ with her eyes closed? Where in the world _were_ they?

After about ten shallow steps, they stopped.

"Now, stand there for a moment." She stood. Then she heard his footsteps walking away.

"Kulu, where are you-"

"I'm just over here. Don't worry."

"Alright..." She stood patiently and tried not to laugh at his constant muttering.

"Now where is that...Oh, here it is. That just leaves this breaker and..." There was a sharp sound of metal against metal, and she heard the flicker of electric lights. Then there was a low humming sound from a machine.

"All right, Aki. You can open your eyes now." His voice didn't sound mischievous, but expectant. She opened them slowly. She had been right. They were in an enormous room shaped like a wheel. They stood in the middle of what could almost pass as a stadium. Except there were no seats. The room was a giant pit, and she was at the center. What could it possibly be for? There was some sort of machine next to Kululu.

"What _is_ this place?"

"It is the observation deck."

" To observe...what? I don't see any-"

"Look up, you silly goose. Ku, ku!" He thrust his finger into the air above him.

"Wha...Oh!" When Aki looked up, she saw infinity. The ceiling was clear like crystal, and outside...The whole universe was there to take in. So many stars...and they were every color of the rainbow. Her breath rushed out of her.

"Oh, _Kululu!_" She fell to her knees. "It's so...so..."

"Immense? Spectacular? Infinitely awesome?!"

"Yes, yes, and yes! I've always wanted to see the universe, but I never..." He was by her side, pulling her to her feet again.

"Would you like to see it closer?"

"Really? But how?"

"Why, in here, of course!" He lead her to the machine. It was shaped a little like a telephone booth.

"Just step inside...there. Now, I just..." He grabbed a pair of levers, and the floor shuddered.

"This isn't going to be like that elevator, is it?"

"Ku, ku! Well, this is slower, but trust me, the view is much more grand." The glass box rose slowly, and Aki realized it was like a crane. The ceiling, loaded with stars, got closer and closer, and she felt like her eyes were getting wider with each inch upward. Then it stopped and the door opened. Kululu stepped out onto a metal ledge. There was railing, but it looked dangerous.

"Wait, is that safe?" His brow wrinkled again.

"Of course it's safe. I built it." She blushed again.

"Right. I keep forgetting how brilliant you are."

"Hmm... Well, you should stop forgetting. Ku, ku!" She followed him onto the ledge. The floor was as stable as a rock beneath her, and she tread a little heavier. The ledge with its railing wrapped around the ceiling, just under the glass dome.

"But what is it for?" After she said it she felt stupid. It _was _an observation deck after all.

"My, my. You ask too many questions. You know I'm going to show you anyway, so why bother?" He shook his head at her and walked forward. He stopped one of a few other long, thick tubes that protruded from the wall. It had a blinking panel next to it that held coordinates of some kind. She followed him, and when she reached his side, she swiped at his shoulder playfully. Concentrating on the panel, he startled.

"Well, excuse me." She said cheerfully. "Can I help it if I have a curious mind?"

"No, I guess not. But you could use a little work on your patience."

"I'm patient. It's just that everything you do excites me!" His finger slipped on the button, and he looked up at her quickly.

"Oh, really? I see. Interesting..."

Aki's hand flew to her mouth. She had meant to say that he was exciting, or something else. She rarely stumbled over her words like this.

"I mean, well, I..."

"KU, ku, ku, ku! It's all right. Just say what's on your mind. I always do!"

"I, uh...Oh wow! Is that a telescope?" She practically leapt at the long tube, thrusting her eye in it.

"Oh! This is...amusing!"

"Yes, yes." Annoyed, he continued tampering with the panel. Aki stared for what seemed like a long time, enthralled in all the glittering blackness. Then she realized how quiet Kululu was. He wasn't even muttering to himself or "ku-ing". There was just the silent tap of his nimble fingers on the plasma screen. She looked over at him, and his brow was crumpled again. Was he concentrating, or had she actually said something to make him angry? She wasn't sure if that was possible. She had never once seen him angry. Maybe a little irritated, but... was he even capable of anger?

"Kululu, what's wrong? Did I say something to offend you?" She worried about doing or saying the wrong things to him. According to Keroro and his friends, the Sergeant Major could be highly unstable. How much of that was true?

"No." The answer was short and brusque. Not a "of course not!" or "What made you think that, dear?" like she expected. She backed away from the telescope. Maybe she shouldn't have touched it so soon. Maybe there was something he had wanted to show her. Could it really be because she hadn't said anything else about him "exciting" her? Was he really that sensitive? Then a strange thought came to her. What did he think of her? Did he feel the same attraction she did? She watched him carefully. He was bent over the screen, intent on the lines and numbers. His yellow fingers danced over the surface, and she shuddered. Instead of bringing a chill, it brought warmth. His movements were so sure, so concise. She wanted those hands on her. She wanted those fingers to dance across... She shook her head, feeling as if he would read her thoughts if they got too strong. They wouldn't stop. Her eyes traveled to where his should be, and she watched how the light of the screen played upon his glasses. Then he glanced up as if to confirm something, and she stifled a gasp. The stars reflected off the lenses. The whole galaxy shimmered there, and she wished more than anything else at that moment that she could look into his eyes. She swallowed. Did she have the courage to ask him? Had anyone ever seen them? Certainly his own mother had. Imagining him with a mother was strange. He was so independent, it seemed like had had never had parents.

"Kululu?" Her voice was strangled, and she coughed.

"Hmm?" He flinched, coming back from the stars.

"Have you always had glasses?" He stared at her blankly, like she had asked him if he had always been a Keronian. Aki formed a hasty apology in her head, but she felt better when she noticed that only one of his eyebrows was showing now. Though he seemed perplexed, the irritation was gone.

"Have you?" Now the brow arched mischievously.

"For a long time, yes-"

"Well, then, there you-"

"Oh no, you don't! I asked you first, Kululu." At that the second brow came back, and he wrung his hands hard enough to be painful.

"Since I was a baby. I've always had poor..." He trailed off unexpectedly, then slowly turned away from her.

"You want to see my eyes, don't you?"

"How did you-"

"You're not the first girl to ask, you know."

"I'm not?" She felt her arms folding across her chest.

"How many other girls have-"

"You should know that I've never shown any of them. Not a single one."

"Oh." It was all she could say. His voice was cold, like she had invaded his privacy. The line was drawn. It took the wind completely out of her sails. She turned away from him, blinking hard.

"I-I see... I guess I'll be going back now. My kids are..." She trailed off, and walked back to the crane, forgetting that she didn't know how to work it. She almost stumbled, but then there was a hand on her shoulder. Not sure what to do, Aki almost kept walking, but the hand tightened its grip and spun her slowly around. The first thing she saw was vivid green. Her brain spun, trying to figure out where it had come from. There hadn't been any green in this room, had there? Then she stepped back, shocked. Kululu's eyes. He was inches away from her face. He placed the other hand on her shoulder, and they were almost in an embrace. Aki forgot to breathe. They were the color of spring, of all things new and fresh. It was the most beautiful color she had ever seen. The stars glittered in them, amplifying the effect. She could see other things in them. Very little innocence, like any childhood had been stripped away. There were long years of taxing work, and something else. Something sad. A sense of deep-seated abandonment. He had been forgotten by someone. Neglected. There was also a tinge of fear. He had been mistreated at one point in his life. Shattered. The pieces had been put together again, but not quite the way they had been before. He was un-whole.

She couldn't believe that she could see all of this in his eyes. Was this why he hid himself so well? She felt a sudden need to set him right, and longed to reach out and hold him. There was love in there too. Not a child-like love, but a craving for it. He wanted love like he was struggling for air.

Without a second thought, she pulled him closer to her, and wrapped her arms tightly around his body. She felt all the muscles in his back stiffen, but she held on just the same. Then they relaxed, and it felt like butter melting. His knees buckled, but she knelt with him. He buried his face under her chin, and his breath came in quick gasps like he was fighting something from within. Aki started to panic. Had she broken him? Was he having a meltdown? She kept calm and stroked his shuddering back, over and over. She tried not to think about what it would be like between them after this. Now that he had bared his soul to her, and he was raw and unveiled.

Then, tears sprang to her eyes, and all she could do was cry for him. She let out a sound, a helpless sigh, and he flinched. He jumped up like he was escaping a nightmare, and stumbled around blindly making soft ku-ing sounds and searching frantically. His glasses. They were by Aki's feet. He must've been holding them before he... She could only watch, frozen by his behavior. Had he finally come unhinged? His mutters grew louder, and he kept repeating one phrase over and over again.

"My glasses, my glasses... I can't see..."

When he ran into the railing and kept walking, she sprang up. She managed to grab one of his flailing arms and pulled him away from the edge.

"Kululu! Stop! It's okay, they're right here." She pushed the lenses over his eyes, noticing that they were empty now. It was like he had flipped a sign to the "closed" side in his window. He stopped muttering almost immediately, and everything about him changed. His face slid behind the mask again. He placed his hands on the railing and turned toward the stars. She waiting for him to regret it. To start cursing or wringing his hands again. For him to say "That shouldn't have happened". He only stood silently for several minutes, his face blank.

"Kululu, I-"

"Shh... I only need a moment."

"Okay." She whispered. She watched the stars beside him. She needed a moment too. They settled into the timeless rhythm of the universe, the stars and planets wheeling before them. Aki didn't know how long it was before she heard his voice again.

"That has never happened to me before.." He sounded far away, like a part of him was out there among the satellites. She wanted to bring him back. Back to the solid ground. She touched his arm, hoping the warmth would help him find his way to her. She wanted to be a path through the stars. He turned to her slowly, and smiled hesitantly.

"Do you have magical powers, Aki Hinata?" She stared back at him and blinked. He laughed.

"Ku, ku, ku!" Relief flooded through her. He had followed the path back to her. This was familiar territory.

"Oh, you scared me a little. I thought..."

"I'm all right now. But I do think that you have arrived."

"Arrived? Where?"

"To my threshold. It has a sign above it that says, _Enter the Real Kululu. Beware. _Do you still want to proceed?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Of course you do. No one else goes in there. The high-level monsters chase them away. Ku, ku, ku!"

"Well, I'm not leaving." His brows furrowed again, and he looked thoughtful.

"Hmm...may I ask why?" His question was aimed toward the stars.

"I'll tell you why if you tell me why you are letting me in."

"You are special, and I want you by my side." The blunt words took her aback. So, he really did feel the same way...

"I think you're special, too."

"Well, there you have it, my dear." He still faced the dark emptiness outside the glass.

"Do you mean that? No games?" He turned to her then

"I can't go back now. You've seen me like no one has."

"What about Saburo? Isn't he special too?"

"Oh, yes. But he's not ready to see all of it yet. I reveal myself to him in layers. He's just a young boy. I don't want to traumatize him. Ku!"

"What about me? What am I?"

"You are strong, and willful. I like that about you. I think you can handle me." They were silent for awhile longer. Then Aki thought of something.

"I heard that you are a romantic. Is that really true? Do you love?"

"I think that's better shown then said, don't you?"

"I-I guess." He stepped closer to her until their faces almost touched. She felt compelled to close her eyes. Then there was warmth on her lips, and hands on her back. She had been kissed a few times before by different men, but this was a whole new experience. She sunk into him, and reached out with all her senses. There was warmth, his nimble fingers, the smell of spices. She would never have dreamed that he could be this intoxicating. He had a power all of his own. She suddenly knew that he was not without experience when it came to this. She knew that there were girls across the galaxy that remembered a certain pair of sure, golden hands, and a slow, heady dance of pleasures. He was music. He was rhythm.

When she felt the cold metal of the ledge beneath her, she broke away from him. She had almost danced her way into uncharted territory. They backed away only slightly, the connection only stretched, not broken. He was breathless, and she realized he was a enthralled as she was.

"I've never kissed someone like you before. You are extraordinary! Even by Keronian standards. _Especially _by Keronian standards! Are you sure you are a Pekoponian? Because you feel very much like-" She lay a finger on his lips.

"Sometimes you talk too much, Kulu."

"That is true. Ku, ku. I really couldn't help it." He held her hand again, and his cheeks were flushed. She laughed.

"You are excitable, aren't you?"

"Oh, yes. I don't even know how to describe this, Aki. I don't want to. But I know what I want to do." She hesitated. She felt the same way, but she couldn't let herself get sucked in again. What about her kids? What about their father?

Kululu produced a remote control out of the air and clicked a button. Suddenly the room was alive with music. The rhythm bounced off the walls, and the pulse of it made her forget everything else. Kululu took her in his arms and spun her around on the ledge.

"What, you didn't think I'd have an observatory deck without a surround sound stereo, did you? I live for music! Ku, ku, ku!" She laughed with him. A full-throated laugh that nearly lifted her into the air. They spun around faster and she felt like he was carrying her into the stars.

They danced for hours, days, years. She was never sure how long it had been. Time stood still in space. Eventually they stumbled back into hyper sleep, and eventually the woke up again on Keron. Aki remembered all of it, and when she looked at Kululu as they disembarked from the ship, she still saw the stars, still hear the music. They smiled at each other. Their secret was floating out there in the Great Beyond. They only had to look closely to bring it all back.


End file.
